Haven't been cooking lately

Sorry I have not posted anything lately, nor will be likely to for the next month due to having sold my house in Junction City and in the process of moving to Kansas City (Olathe). It has been quite a nerve wracking time but with the banker and realtors, not to mention God willing and that darned creek don't rise, I'll be quite busy moving so please bear with me. I plan to be back on track by April.

Stroganoff

I needed to use up some strip steaks so I thickened some beef broth and cream with egg yolks over a Pyrex glass double boiler. Meantime I cooked mushrooms, onions and the beef in butter, added some green peas on a whim, added sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and then added it all into the cream soup base, then served over noodles.

Steak dinner

Strip steak cooked on indoor grill, sweet potatoes cut up, tossed with oil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, paprika and a pinch of cinnamon and baked at 450º for 45 minutes, turning once. Asparagus steamed and served with Alfredo sauce and tossed salad and garlic rolls.

Chocolate raspberry torte

Chocolate Raspberry Torte          12 servings

1 cup unsalted butter

1 pound semisweet chocolate

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon almond extract

6 eggs, separated and at room temperature

TOPPING

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

3 cups fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a 10-inch round cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper, spray oil on the parchment and dust with flour. Over low heat, melt butter with chocolate. Remove from heat. Combine sugar with cocoa and whisk into chocolate. Whisk in sour cream, extract and egg yolks.

In a separate bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks and fold into chocolate one third at a time. Turn mixture into cake pan, set it in a large roasting pan, and pour in enough hot water to go 1 inch up sides of cake pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes; the center will appear soft and the 

Fish stew

Last night I wanted fish stew, kids wanted tacos. We had tacos. Today I compromised and made a fish/scallop broth with shrimp shells, clam juice, tomato juice and red wine, strained and added tomatoes, onions green peppers and garlic. I roasted scallops and clams and made Louisiana Killer Shrimp. Then I put some seafood and rice in a bowl and ladled my fish stew broth over it. I left the rest of the fish on a platter for the kids to eat as it with rice or add broth as they chose.

I also made some sourdough french bread

When it comes to things like stew and casseroles, I consider the list of ingredients to be a list of suggestions. I more or less made the sauce and added the cooked shell fish and rice.

Cioppino 

3 lb. seabass, barracuda, hailbut, or a variety of firm fish 

1 large Dungess (hard shell) crab or a cooked lobster 

1 lb (0r more) jumbo shrimp 

1 pint clams, mussels or oysters or all three 

Sauce 

3/4 C. olive oil 

1 1/2 C. chopped onions 

1 C. chopped green pepper 

3 Cloves garlic, thoroughly mashed with 1 tsp. salt 

1-21/2 cans of tomatoes 

The broth of the molluscs 

2 C. red table wine 

2 C. tomato juice 

2 C. fish stock made from the crab shell or lobster body and fish trimmings 

Herb bouquet (bay leaf, parsley, basill) 

1/2 C. minced parsley 

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

Cut the fish into good-sized serving pieces. Crack the crab and remove the top shell but keep it for making stock. If you use lobster, cut the tail in pieces and reserve the body to make stock; if you use Eastern lobster, cut the tail and crack the claws. Split the shrimp tails down the back and remove the black vein. Steam the molluscs in a small amount of water just until they open. Remove the top shell and save the broth. 

sauce 

Saute the onion and green pepper in olive oil until just soft, add all the other ingredients except parsley and cook 10 minutes. Remove the herb bouquet and taste for seasoning